Vermont and other parts of the Northeast plan on skiing through spring, but most of the West is wishing it had some more snow. The map from NOAA above shows where there's still snow on the ground, indicated by white, across the Northern Hemisphere. This data comes from satellite images showing just how bad it is on the ground—literally. Overall, it's been a tough year for the snow. The Lower 48 resort with the highest season snow total this year was Jay Peak in Vermont, and it didn't even hit its yearly average.
The faint wisps of snow across California are doing nothing for the state's drought and mandatory water restrictions. That white area along the borders of Idaho, Montana and Wyoming is faring better than a lot of the West, but the snowpack across most of that area still is below the median for this time of year. Even though there's a thin strip of white running through Washington and Oregon, those basins are facing record low snowpacks. The snowpack feeds a lot of water needs in the West, and even just an early runoff can hurt mountain town businesses like river outfitters and fishing guides, both of whom need healthy rivers.
National Water and Climate Center
· All Curbed Ski snowpack maps [Curbed Ski]
· Map of Snowpack Shows Just How Cruel March Really Was [Curbed Ski]
· Here's Who Has Snow Across North America [Curbed Ski]